1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to holding means for holding a blanket, coverlet, comfort or the like (hereinafter referred to as “bedding”) and preventing the bedding from being shifted or slipping and falling down from a bed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, there were employed various types of holding appliances for holding a blanket and preventing it from being shifted or slipping. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei. 10-337233 and No. 2001-321255 each disclose a holding appliance for holding a blanket. The holding appliance comprises a flat belt having first and second belt sections, an adjusting device attached to one end portions of the first and second belt sections for adjusting the whole length of the flat belt, and holding members for holding portions of a periphery of a blanket. The holding members comprise alligator clips provided at the other end portions of the first and second belt sections, or hook-and-loop fasteners. At the time of use of the holding appliance, the flat belt is adapted to be interposed between a bed and a mattress on the bed so as to extend in a crosswise direction of the bed, with the other end portions of the first and second belt sections being drawn out of a space between the bed and the mattress.
In the conventional holding appliance employing the hook-and-loop fasteners as the holding members, ones of hook portions and loop portions of the hook-and-loop fasteners are attached to the other end portions of the first and second belt sections, and the others of the hook portions and loop portions of the hook-and-loop fasteners are attached to the portions of the periphery of the blanket. The hook portions and the loop portions are joined to each other at the time of the use of the holding appliance, whereby the blanket is held by the belt so as not to be shifted or slip. However, in this holding appliance, the others of the hook portions and loop portions of the hook-and-loop fasteners must be attached to the portions of the periphery of the blanket as described above. The attaching of the others of the hook portions and loop portions to the portions of the blanket will limit sewing of the blanket. In addition, when the blanket with the others of the hook portions and loop portions is cleaned several times, capacities of the others of the hook portions and loop portions for bonding with the ones of the hook portions and loop portions that are attached to the belt will be decreased.
In the holding appliance employing the alligator clips as the holding members, the portions of the periphery of the blanket are held by the alligator clips at the time of the use of the holding appliance, whereby the blanket is held by the belt so as to be prevented from being shifted or slipping. However, when any pulling force is applied to the blanket during the use of the holding appliance, for example, when a person who is sleeping utilizing the blanket held by the holding appliance turns over to thereby pull the blanket, the blanket will be easily separated from the alligator clips, since the alligator clips can not exhibit holding force enough to still hold the blanket when the pulling force is applied to the blanket.
The belt-length-adjusting device comprises a substantially rectangular-shaped frame, and a pin bridged between opposite portions of the frame. The adjusting device is attached to the first and second belt sections by causing the one end portion of the first belt section to be coupled to the pin, causing the one end portion of the second belt section to be received through the frame so as to be stridden over the pin, and causing the one end portion of the second belt section to be drawn out of the frame. The adjusting of the whole length of the belt is adapted to be carried out by controlling drawing amount of the one end portion of the second belt section from the frame.
The adjusting of the whole length of the belt is generally performed after holding the portions of the blanket through the holding members. In the conventional holding appliance, the position of the adjusting device attached to the belt is remote from the positions of the alligator clips provided at the belt or the positions of the ones (of the hook portions and loop portions) provided at the belt, so that whenever the adjusting of the whole length of the belt is to be carried after the holding of the portions of the blanket by the holding members, it is necessary to move the belt in order to facilitate the adjusting of the length of the belt. This is very troublesome and will take a lot of labor. Particularly, when the holding appliances are employed in a hospital or a home for the aged, which has many beds, the adjusting of the whole length of the belts of the holding appliances, and re-holding of the blankets by the holding appliances are very troublesome and will take a lot of labor, so that the conventional holding appliances are impractical.